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The big question about the long-term future of Strikeforce and why UFC is now going to have to address the issue very shortly is one of the lead stories in one of two issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter out this week.

We look at the future of both Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson coming off their big fight, the contract situation, and what decisions about their future need to be made. We also look at the show, the business of the show, the marketability of both men, as well as whether it was a success or failure in the first major women's MMA title fight under the Zuffa banner. We also look at the figure direction of Strikeforce fights coming off the show, the championship situation, as well as have comments from Emelianenko about his future, and Emelianenko, Herb Dean and Henderson about the stoppage.

We also have match-by-match coverage and poll results from the show.

The first issue is up today on the web site for web site subscribers and the second will be up tomorrow. You can get a mail subscription to the Observer with information below. The Observer has the most detailed coverage of pro wrestling around the world, as well as insider UFC coverage not available anywhere else. We have about 14 new newsletters each month, usually six Observers, four or five Figure Four Weeklies and four or five back issues of the Observer each week.

We also have a rundown of AAA's No. 2 event of the year, Verano de Escandalo, with business notes, match-by-match coverage and how the TNA stars like Jeff & Karen Jarrett, Samoa Joe, Abyss and Mickie James performed, as well as a major return, the future of Jarrett's title run and the booking.

We also have an update on how WWE's Capitol Punishment did on PPV, as well as major numbers changes in the reporting of two recent shows. What did the experiment of putting R-Truth in a PPV main event deliver, how it compared with last year and what are now the four lowest bought shows in North America of the modern era.

We also have an update on the G-1 Climax tournament, update Hardcore Justice, more on the Bound for Glory series as well as a couple of wrestling weddings.

We also look at Dana White's comments to Sports Illustrated about the current state of UFC, his role in Strikeforce, what he says about declining ratings and PPV numbers as well a twitter vs. Internet.

We also have notes on Brock Lesnar's WWE non-wrestling deal, WWE DVD sales and WWE sub site traffic.

We also look at how well the term sports entertainment has been picked up by the public and why it only makes talent look bad when they use the term.

We also look at Jeremiah Riggs' talking about not making it to FCW.

We also have an update on SummerSlam, another reason why The Rock will be at Survivor Series, an update on Mick Foley in WWE, will Foley wrestle again, more on Sin Cara, an update on the stealing stuff from the Smackdown wrestlers bags when they were in South Africa, the next UFC vs WWE head-to-head battle, C.M. Punk talking about why he changed his mind, his thoughts on the reaction to the angle, ratings, and why his reaction to telling people to wait until the story plays out doesn't work in today's environment. We also look at the major problems in writing, the last super successful title feud and how it was nearly destroyed, and the time even Steve Austin couldn't prevent ridiculous booking from ruining a potential money feud. Punk also talks about what kind of match he doesn't ever want to do again, and who his favorite performer is.

We also have notes on a future WWE title change, as well as this week's talk about bringing back an old pr wrestling role, as well as an update on Undertaker and SummerSlam ticket notes.

We also have more on the health of John Morrison and why he came back, as well as Morrison talks last year's WrestleMania and Trish Stratus, what WWE star is expecting, as well as business notes from the past week in WWE and highlights of all the house shows.

We also look at the problems between UFC and Golden Glory and why what happened this past week with the releasing of Alistair Overeem and Marloes Coenen took place.

We also have our annual TNA roster directory, with the list of all performers in the company real names, age, years pro and sports and entertainment backgrounds.

We also have a look back at the beginnings of Wrestling Observer Live, how Bryan got involved with the show, and how pro wrestling changed in 2001 in ways that even a decade later it has never even come close to recovering from. We look at the deaths of WCW and ECW, why Wrestling Observer Live didn't last on regular radio at first, and what saved it.

We also have our usual weekly features including ratings for all the major national shows, broken down the segment-by-segment for both Raw and Impact, showing which segments gained and lost viewers and evaluated their performance from an audience level.

We also have results from all the major league pro wrestling and MMA events over the past week, as well as reviews of all the major television shows.

The Wrestling Observer ranges from 25,000 to 40,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA all over the world.

Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sites and has the most complete look at the business as a whole anywhere. The Observer is now in its 29th year of being the leading insider pro wrestling publication in the world. The biggest and most influential names in the pro wrestling industry as well as the MMA industry, from bookers, to promoters to Hall of Fame wrestlers and fighters to the biggest current names, both on camera, and behind the scenes, along with thousands of readers in all 50 states and 30 countries subscribe. Many have subscribed as long as 20 years or more straight. They get the most detailed and inside coverage of what is going on all over the world and an accuracy from having the most inside sources that can't be found on the web. Everyone from Wall Street to the major offices to the TV networks in U.S. and Japan turn to the Observer for what is going on in the business. If you are a new subscriber ordering 24 or more issues, you can get one free classic issue of your choice sent to you today. With a 40 issue subscription, you can get two free classic issues sent to you today. Just send your Visa or Master Card order with your name, address, phone number, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to
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or you can order by faxing that information to 408-244-3402. You can also subscribe via paypal at www.paypal.com and using the
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address or subscribe via check, cash or money order, as well as credit card, by mail, by sending to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228.

Also in this week's issues:

--Big title rematch

--Wrestler mad that a promotion he isn't with used his family name and trademark for a tournament

--Hair match draws near sellout

--U.S. promotion looking like it will drop PPV

--A look at this past week's All Japan big show

--Wrestler turns politician returns to the ring next week

--Weightlifter set for pro wrestling debut

--Notes on a new junior heavyweight tournament

--Kenta Kobashi's next match back

--Jr. heavyweight tag team tournament notes

--Son-in-law of arguably the most influential wrestler in history is linked to national steroid scandal

--Nine-year-old in popular youtube wrestling match

--Lots of notes on the Devon Nicholson lawsuit against Abdullah the Butcher

--More on Nicholson's background

--Butcher responds to the charges

--Update on Abdullah's health

--Chris Jericho goes into business with baseball and football star

--The biggest legends show in history talked about

--Notes behind Adam Pearce winning the NWA title again

--A look back at when one of WWF's biggest stars refused to work in certain cities and why

--What wrestler lost his job in WWF due to loyalty to another promoter

--Urban Wrestling Federation next PPV

--Rock star starts wrestling company

--Hall of Famer scheduled for first U.S. tour in 16 years

--Update on big CHIKARA show

--Fit Finlay does indie tournament

--Update on Hurricane Helms

--Death of Judy Sowinski

--Note on criminal charges against former WWE star

--Notes on ROH's first TV taping of the Sinclair era

--Bellator's middleweight tournament

--Major promotion sold, but does it have a future?

--Update on Brett Rogers after his recent arrest

--High level wrestlers going into MMA

--Athletic commission tries to kill MMA in his state

--What state is it currently a criminal offense to attend an MMA show

--Something in another sport causing officials to talk about banning MMA in one of its hotbeds

--TNA stars in movie

--TNA star wants to open new business

--Notes on TNA house shows and business

--Thoughts on upcoming UFC show

--UFC star gets two major league sponsors

--Cris Cyborg update

--Olympic silver medalist signs with Zuffa

--Movie planned on the life of UFC star

--Lots of new UFC matches

New subscribers ordering 24 or 40 issues have to let us know what major story (ies) of the past 11 years you are most interested in and we'll send the issue with the best coverage of that story. We've got coverage of every major PPV event and world wide spectacular, every major star switching promotions, histories of companies like FMW, Rings and New Japan, retirement and obit issues of every major star who fits into those descriptions over the past 11 years, as well as our biggest issue every year, the annual awards issue, and our most controversial issue of every year, the Hall of Fame issue. Our most requested issues in our history are:

*November 17, 1997 (full details of everything leading to the most famous wrestling match finish of modern times at the Survivor Seriesplus a history of in-ring double-crosses)

*December 21, 1998 (the complete Vince McMahon-Bret Hart conversation right before the Survivor Series match so you'll know exactly what was said--the conversation played in edited form both on the inaugural broadcast of Confidential as well as in Wrestling with Shadows, buteverything that was said between the two about the match that was going to take place that same night)

*May 13, 2002 (the life story of the most incredible pro wrestling career ever, a look at Lou Thesz, in one of the largest issues of ourhistory) *January 27, 2003 (part one of the two-part series covering the career and life of The Sheik)

*February 3, 2003 (Part two on The Sheik including thoughts from people who worked with him and where he stands historically)

*April 21, 2003 (history of WWF continues with the expansion nationally, the death of the regional territories and the rise of HulkHogan)

*May 12, 2003 (The life and death of Elizabeth, and the rise of fall of Lex Luger)

*June 9, 2003 (Part 1 of history of WWF vs. WCW wars and what many say was the greatest year in U.S. wrestling; plus a look at Fred Blassie)

*June 16, 2003 (Freddie Blassie through the eyes of his biggest rivals and friends)

*July 28, 2003 (Part 2 of the history of the WWF vs. WCW war and the plans to make new superstars in the early 90s, what happened, and thenight where the three biggest wrestling companies in the world combined for a joint show and what happened)

*August 25, 2003 (2003 Hall of Fame issue with huge profiles on the controversial career of Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit as well ashistorical features on Earl Caddock and Francisco Flores)

*September 22, 2003 (Part 3 of the history of the WWF vs WCW war with the seeds that caused the collapse of the industry in the 90s,Zahorian trial, Gulf War controversy, Flair leaves WCW while holding world title and much more)

*October 27, 2003 (The fascinating life of Stu Hart plus the story of Road Warrior Hawk)

*February 23, 2004 (History of Guerrero family with Eddy's win over Brock Lesnar)

*March 1, 2004 (History of WWF continues with the period that brought the company down in early 1992, the mistakes, the real stories and how the business changed)

*March 8, 2004 (History of Wrestlemania, its greatest matches and best and worst shows as voted both by wrestlers and non-wrestlers andWrestlemania history books)

*July 5, 2004 (A look behind the scenes and Ric Flair's book and his background with Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan)

*July 12, 2004 (A look at more on Ric Flair's book and his comments on Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and Mick Foley)

*August 16, 2004 (History of the Olympians in pro wrestling)

*August 23, 2004 (2004 Hall of Fame issue and biggest issue of the year with huge profiles on Kazushi Sakuraba, Undertaker, Bob Backlund,Masahiro Chono, Ultimo Dragon, Kurt Angle and Tarzan Lopez--this counts as one issue if you are asking for a free issue, but orderedseparately, due to size, is $6 in North America and $7 overseas)

*October 4, 2004 (the life and times of Big Bossman; as well as details of the life and times of one of the most influential men worldwide in pro wrestling history, Jim Barnett)

*November 15, 2004 (the full story of what happened between Kurt Angle and Daniel Puder, plus coverage of the most important week in thehistory of TNA)

*January 24, 2005 (2004 Awards issue, Rock and WWE part company)

*March 14, 2005 (the 50 biggest money players in the history of WWF and a look at theirHall of Fame)

*May 9, 2005 (the life and times of Chris Candido)

*June 20, 2005 (The full story behind Paul Heyman and the death of ECW, as well as coverage of One Night Stand, Hardcore Homecoming andbehind the scenes of both shows)

*July 18, 2005 (death of Shinya Hashimoto and his records with a look at the fall of New Japan, the Matt Hardy angle, tons of WWE firings,Cornette firing in detail as well as problems of a WWE developmental territory in our biggest news issue of the year which is adouble-sized issue and would be $6 on its own and $7 overseas)

*January 9, 2006 (The life and times of Superstar Billy Graham, plus New Year's Eve 2005 coverage)

*January 16, 2006 (2005 Awards double issue, $6 or $7 overseas)

*April 3, 2006 (Story of Ann Calvello and the history of Roller Derby--many called this the best issue of the Observer ever)

*April 10, 2006 (Behind the scenes at the 2006 Wrestlemania/Hall of Fame week)

*July 24, 2006 (The History of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling--the most unreal story ever in wrestling)

*September 4, 2006 (The Rise and Fall of Kurt Angle; 2006 Hall of Fame inductions of Eddie Guerrero, Paul Bowser, Masakatsu Funaki, Aja Kong and Hiroshi Hase including tons of wrestling history around the world from the 20s through the 60s, the evolution of working to not workingin Japan, and a look at Guerrero in hindsight, double issue $6 or $7 overseas)

*October 9, 2006 (A look back nine years later at the life and legacy of Brian Pillman with tons of inside information about what made himtick as his real objectives)

*November 15, 2006 (History of WCW part one, Eric Bischoff's book and how the industry was changed forever)

*November 27, 2006 (History of WCW part three, When Bischoff challenged McMahon to fight; Truth and fiction around Bret Hartsigning with WCW and why it didn't click)

*December 6, 2006 (details behind Pride's offers to sell promotion and Part four of History of WCW part four, Hogan-Goldberg match and whythere was no rematch, WCW loses NBC network deal in 1999 and the real reasons the company fell apart)

*August 11, 2008 (Ric Flair leaves WWE; Updated history of pro wrestlers and MMA fighters who went to the Olympics)

* September 8, 2008 (2008 Hall of Fame double issue, $7 on its own, $8 overseas; part one of Killer Kowalski bio)

* September 15, 2008 (Life and Times of Evan Tanner)

* September 22, 2008 (The amazing career of Killer Kowalski, one of our most in-depth bios)

You can also order any of these issues on their own for $4 in North America or $5 overseas.

Rates are:

For the United States, it is $12 for 4 issues, $29 for 12, $55 for 24, $91 for 40 and $118 for 52. In Canada and Mexico, rates are $13.50 for4, $33 for 12, $61 for 24, $101 for 40 and $131 or 52. In Europe, you can get the fastest delivery and best rates by sending to
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. For the rest of the world, rates are $15.50 for 4, $41 for 12, $78 for 24, $126 for 40 issues and $163 for52 .

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order (P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228), you can get $1 off in every price range.

We now have available personally autographed copies of Tributes II, our latest book, as well as a DVD that comes with it talking moreabout the subjects in the book. The book covers the life stories of Lou Thesz, Wahoo McDaniel, Elizabeth, Fred Blassie, Road Warrior Hawk,Andre the Giant, Curt Hennig, Johnny Valentine, Davey Boy Smith, Terry Gordy, Owen Hart, Stu Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, The Sheik and Tim Woods. To get all of those biographies as back issues of the Observer would be a $60 value today. This is a collection of some of the bestObserver articles of the past several years in a hardcover, full-color format that is 239 pages. There is also a foreword by Bret Hart. The book price is $12.95 plus $3.50 for shipping costs in the U.S., $10 for shipping costs to Canada and $12 for shipping costs outside NorthAmerica. You can order the book the same way you order the newsletter.

--Zuffa released Marloes Coenen, Jon Olav Einemo and Valentijn Overeem from their Strikeforce and UFC contracts as part of eliminating anymore negotiations with Bas Boon and Golden Glory. There are problems that have dated back for years and basically there are two sides who have different ways of conducting business and in the game of chicken, neither budged. Overeem would have been cut either way, but Coenen is an innocent victim of circumstances. If Sergei Kharitonov loses to Josh Barnett on 9/10, there is a good chance he'll be the next on the list.

--Lee Silber, the guy accused of harassing and threatening Maryse Oullet of WWE fame, has been legally ordered by Los Angeles Superior Court from going within 300 yards of her at any time over the next three years.

--In the weekend cable ratings, USA was No. 1 with a 2.6 prime time average this past week to 1.8 for both TNA and Disney. Syfy was No. 12 at 0.9. Spike did not crack the top 25. The two hours of Raw last week were No. 11 and No. 18, with the top three shows being Pawn Stars (4.8), The Closer (4.7) and NASCAR Sprint Cup (4.6). The two hours were No. 3 and No. 10 in 18-49.

--Shawn Michaels and his TV crew are filming MacMillan River Adventures in Africa this week for an episode that airs in the fall season (thanks to Carl Dantes)

--The personal property of Walter "Killer" Kowalski will be auctioned off on 8/11 at the Tonya A. Chambers Auction House in Saugus, MA. They will auction off most of Kowalski's belongings including robes, memorabilia, boots and antique furniture. More than 300 items that Kowalski, who passed any in 2008, owned, are being auctioned off.

--Jeremiah Riggs of Tough Enough, who was not signed by WWE, went wild on the developmental roster and in particular went after Bill DeMott and his tough guy rep, as well as calling Andy Leavine a pussy and crybaby at http://tinyurl.com/3bbvqr8

--The WWE WrestleMania special on 8/13 will be preempted in the New York market for the New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers preseason game. The show usually does a weak rating, and not airing in New York will cost them some ratings points. (thanks to Dan Wahlers)

--Gail Kim joked that since she was told to go out early, he eliminated herself right away from the Battle Royal on Monday. The fact she twittered it probably wasn't in her best interest. "I wasn't being a mark for myself, I was being a good employee. When you're told to get out of the ring in less than a minute, I just did it the fastest way possible so really I saved some time." She said nobody backstage even noticed she just left the ring and nobody spoke to her about it.

--Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Smackdown tapings last night, UFC cutting Marloes Coenen, and other news as well as taking your e-mail questions that you can send to
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--What best describes your thoughts on the Punk angleCould have been great long-term, but he came back too soon 22.2%Started strong, still strong, will lead to a business pickup, SummerSlam will do strong numbers 13.1%Started strong, fizzled last week with his return, no increase in business past MITB 12.7%Promo that started it was great, but with no long-term planing, it really never had hope 11.0%Could have been strong long-term, but this week's Raw made it just another angle 10.6%Could have been great long-term, but last week's angle took the edge off 10.5%Still has hope, SummerSlam will be strong, but it is fading 7.6%Started strong, fizzled this week, no increase in business past MITB 4.7%SummerSlam will only do average, but I expect a long-term business turnaround 4.3%Promo wasn't as good as people said, angle didn't really appeal to that many people 1.6%Promo and match were great, but there was no way it could have been kept strong after the match 1.6%

--ROH announced its next iPPV would take place on 9/17 from the Manhattan Center in New York, called "Death Before Dishonor." TNA is marketing a T-shirt with that same name for Crimson. ROH has been using the name for one of its annual major shows since 2003.

--The documentary "Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin," a four-hour collection will be released on DVD on 10/1. You can preorder it at http://www.memphis-heat.com

--An article on WWE language and banned terms is at http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/wrestling-with-semantics/story-fn6cc53 j-1226083043750

--Tim Kennedy appears tonight on Spike TV's "Deadliest Warrior" television show that airs at 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

--HHH will be on Jimmy Fallon on Friday night to push SummerSlam.

--Tickets will go on sale tomorrow for the 10/8 UFC show in Houston to Fight Club members. You can log in at ufcfightclub.com. They go on sale to the public on Friday. They are also selling VIP tickets to the Fan Expo in Houston in conjunction with the show.

--Japanese woman wrestling star Kana makes her U.S. debut in October, working shows for both Shimmer and CHIKARA Pro. She works 10/1 and 10/2 for Shimmer for DVD tapings in Berwyn, IL at the Eagles Club. She works 10/7 and 10/8 for CHIKARA in Burlington, NC a the Mid Atlantic Sportatorium and 10/8 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium.

--BxB Hulk returns to the U.S. with Dragon Gate USA on the November tour with shows on 11/11 in Boston, 11/12 in New York and 11/13 in Philadelphia.

--The gossip sites are carrying reports that George Clooney is dating Stacy Keibler. The stories are that Clooney flew her to Italy to spend time at his home there. Supposedly this is not a serous relationship.

--UFC prelims will be airing live at 10 a.m. on Sunday in Australia on ONE HD (thanks to Tim Forge)

--Former pro wrestler Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne Johnson, who was a major star from the mid-60s through the mid-80s, will be an honored guest for the "Bullying...We're Kickin It" national campaign that will hold an event on 10/20 at the Hard Rock Cafe at Times Square.

--The guy wearing the Larry Sweeney T-shirt that was on Howard Stern last week, and mentioned in Monday's update, was Chikarason, the former Dragon Gate USA commentator.

--More in the useless trivia department. Toms River East High was not the only Jersey Shore high school to produce both a pro wrestling and MMA star. Point Pleasant Boro High School produced 1974 grad Page Falkinburg (Diamond Dallas Page) and UFC star Kurt Pellegrino, a 1998 graduate. Falkinburg was a tough forward who was second-team All-County as a senior and played some college ball. Pellegrino placed second in the state wrestling meet at 140 in 1997 and at 160 in 1998. However, neither was the most successful athlete the school produced. that would be Chrstie Rampone, a 1993 graduate, who was the captain of the U.S. women's soccer team that just lost to Japan in the World Cup finals, and helped the U.S. win gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics (thanks to Chuck Langerman).

--Kyle O'Reilly was announced for Friday's Platinum Championship Wrestling show in Avondale Estates, GA at the Academy Theater.

--WSU on Saturday night at the Ace Arena in Union City, NJ for a DVD taping of women's wrestling.

--River City Wrestling on 8/6 in San Antonio at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

--Fox 2 in Detroit on Sunday did a five minute profile on Matthew McFarlin, the son of former pro wrestling manager Johnny Bradford, who tests for his black belt in Choi Kwang Do this coming weekend. At 6, Matthew McFarlin, if he passes, would be one of the youngest black belts in the world.

--SoCal Pro wrestling on 8/13 in Oceanside, CA at the Boys & Girls Club headlined by Tommy Wilson vs. SoCal Crazy in a ladder match.

--All Pro Wrestling does a TV taping on Saturday night in Hayward, CA at the APW Garage. Dylan Drake defends the Universal title against Jeckles in the main event.

--NWA MSW TV taping on Saturday night in Marmet, WV at the George Buckley Community Center

--NWS on 8/6 in Keansburg, NJ at the New Point Comfort Fire Company Hall has the 2011 Chris Candido Memorial J-Cup tournament. Tommy Dreamer will headline the show. He will not be in the tournament as he doesn't make the weight limit.

--Former UFC fighter Mario Miranda, who holds wins over David Loiseau and Rick Story, faces Jason Zentgraf in the main event on 8/13 for Combat at the Cabaret at the Swinomish Casino in Anacortes WA. The show airs live on www.GFL.tv